There will be tens of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes at stake, trophies and prizes for adults big fish winners( men and women's division), kids ( both boys and girls ), and the Big Bear community will as always role out the red carpet for all the WON anglers!

Now
heading into its eleventh year, the successful Big Bear Lake Troutfest
will once again be returning to Big Bear Lake on October 3rd and 4th, 2015.

We
have held the entry fee to $75 for adults and $50 for juniors (under 16), and the
first 600 entries will receive a goodie bag with a selection of items
from sponsors.

Here is just some of what you get when you sign up for the WON Big Bear TroutfesT:

1) Each person that signs up for the 2015 Big Bear
TroutfesT will have their angler number added to the raffle bin for a chance to win the grand raffle prize
of a Klamath 16 foot EXW model boat with 40 hp Mercury four-stroke motor and EZ Loader trailervalued at $19,500. On Sunday, Oct. 4th
at the end of the awards program one lucky angler will win that prize. In addition to the grand raffle prize there are tons of other raffle prize awards.

2) Trophies
and merchandise will be awarded to the top five winners in each of the
following categories: Adult Male, Adult Female, Junior Male (under 16) and Junior
Female (under 16). This event is perfect for the entire family, and we have prizes and levels so that anyone can win!

3) The Blind Bogey Contest in
which participants can win cash. All anglers that have signed up will
be eligible for the cash that will be awarded as part of the Blind
Bogey Contest.

4) There’s also a special raffle for juniors only,
with a separate grand raffle for each paid junior. The drawing will be
held during the awards ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 4th.

5)
Of course the fishing should be great at Big Bear Lake, and as always
WON puts $15,000.00 worth of trout stocking in the lake prior to the event, with the help and cooperation of
the Big Bear Municipal Water District.

This year, as
in the past, this event will be limited to only 1,000 entries and it
does fill up fast, so don’t delay on getting in on this one.

Friday, Oct. 2nd —
Anglers check in at the Big Bear Visitors Center, 630 Bartlett Road,
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315; Tel: 1 (800) 4 BIG BEAR from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Anglers will receive their wristband with angler number, goodie bag,
copy of rules and itinerary, and most importantly, have their angler number placed into a raffle bin which makes them eligible to win
prizes, including the Klamath boat/Mercury motor package and EZ Loader trailer courtesy of
Klamath Boats and Mercury Motors valued at $17,500. Late sign-ups, if
any are available, will also be taken at this time with a $15 late fee
assessed.

Saturday, Oct. 3rd —
Late angler check-in at the Big Bear Visitors Center, 630 Bartlett
Road, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315; TEL: 1 (800) 4 BIG BEAR from 5 a.m. to 6
a.m. It is strongly recommended, however, that you use the Friday
evening check-in as how quickly we can get you in and out on Saturday
morning will depend on how many people show up at the late check-in.

Fishing
will begin on Saturday morning, Oct. 3rd, at 6:30 a.m. and continue until 3
p.m. The official tournament scales, located at the Big Bear Marina
parking lot, (500 Paine Ct., Big Bear Lake, CA 92315; TEL: 1-909-866-3218 (www.bigbearmarina.com) will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Anglers not in line
by 4 p.m. will not have their fish weighed and their catch will not
count towards that day’s competition. Once you weigh fish, you are done
for the day and cannot weigh additional fish. Each angler may weigh up
to the legal limit of 5 fish per day.

During
the weigh-in on Saturday, various TroutfesT sponsors will have their
products on display.

Sunday, Oct. 4th —
Fishing will begin on Sunday morning, Oct. 4th, at 6:30 a.m. and continue
until 1 p.m. Scales will be open at the Big Bear Marina parking lot from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Anglers not in line by 2 p.m. will not have their
fish weighed and their catch will not count towards that day’s
competition. Once you weigh fish, you are done for the day and cannot
weigh additional fish. Each angler may weigh only 5 fish per day.

The raffle prize drawing and awards ceremonies will commence around 3:30 p.m. in the Big Bear Marina parking lot.

We
will be awarding first through fifth-place trophies and prizes for the
top Adult Male, top Adult Female, top Junior Male (under 16 years of
age), top Junior Female (under 16 years of age) and overall big fish.
Thousands of dollars in raffle prizes will be raffled off to those in
attendance. You must be present to win. The blind bogey cash prizes will
also be awarded on Sunday. The awards ceremony will end with the grand
prize raffle of the $17,500 Klamath boat and 40 hp Mercury motor
package with EZ Loader trailer. Awards should be over no later than 5-5:30 p.m. to allow
everyone the chance to get down the hill before dark.

Since
there is no seating in the Big Bear Marina parking lot, it is strongly
recommended that you bring folding lawn/beach chairs.

Additionally, due to the crowd size, no dogs will be allowed on Big Bear Marina property during the TroutfesT award ceremonies.

2015 Big Bear October TroutfesT Official Rules

*PLEASE READ THESE RULES CAREFULLY AS THEY APPLY TO ALL CONTESTANTS

Contestants
may fish from shore, float tube, canoe, kayak, boat, or any other
legally-permissible vessel provided they meet all local, state and
federal regulations.

All
boats, including float tubes, canoes and kayaks, used during the
TroutfesT must be properly outfitted with the USCG mandated equipment
for the vessel, which may include, but is not limited to, anchors,
running lights, throw cushions, life vests, signal devices, oars, and
bailing devices. All vessels must also possess current state
registration stickers if required.

Contestants
using their own vessels must obtain a special permit, which is obtained
through the Big Bear Municipal Water District office prior to the
contest. Vessels are also subject to a Quagga Mussel inspection prior to
launch on Big Bear Lake.

All
participants under 13 years of age fishing from a vessel 26 feet or less are
required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life vest (PFD) during on-the-water tournament hours. See www.dbw.ca.gov for details concerning life vests.

At
the time of check-in, all TroutfesT contestants will be issued a
wristband with their angler I.D. number on it. These wristbands must be
worn for the duration of the event and should not be removed until the
close of the contest at 6 p.m. on Oct. 4th, 2015.

Pre-fishing
with a licensed guide is permitted up until 4 p.m. on Oct. 2nd, 2015.
Other than providing emergency assistance, no fishing guides licensed on
Big Bear Lake may participate, or in any way assist other TroutfesT
participants during the contest period.

All
California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations will apply to the
TroutfesT. All contestants 16 years of age or older will be required to
possess and carry a valid California fishing license. Any angler cited
as being in violation of California or federal Fish and Game laws will
be disqualified from the TroutfesT.

All
fish submitted for weight during the TroutfesT must be taken from the
waters of Big Bear Lake during the official contest hours. Fish brought
in from outside of Big Bear Lake as judged by the tournament staff will
result in angler disquali­fication. All fish must be caught live, with
rod and reel, and fair-game hooked per California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations. No snagged fish will be accepted. California Fish and Wildlife regulations may be viewed online at www.dfg.ca.gov.

All
California Department of Boating and Waterways and all local Big Bear
Lake Municipal Water District boating regulations must be observed
during the tournament. Any boat operator cited by local, state or
federal agencies for violating boating laws during the tournament will
be disqualified.

Lake Closures —
Big Bear Lake will be closed to TroutfesT contestant fishing from 5
p.m. on Oct. 2nd to 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 3rd. The lake will again close to
TroutfesT contestants on Oct. 2nd at 3 p.m. and reopen on Oct. 4th at 6:30
a.m. It will close again on Oct. 4th at 1 p.m. Contestants may be on the water during off-limits times, but are
not allowed to have lines in the water. Anglers found fishing during the
off-limits period will be disqualified from the TroutfesT.

Official Contest Hours —
The TroutfesT will start at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3rd, and cease at 3
p.m. on Oct. 4th.
Scales will open Saturday at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of the Big Bear
Marina, and close at 4 p.m. All anglers who are in
line prior to 4 p.m. will have their fish weighed. On Sunday, Oct. 4th,
the contest will start at 6:30 a.m. and cease at 1 p.m Oct. 4th. Scales will open at
10 a.m. and close at 2 p.m. Again, all anglers in line prior to 2 p.m.
will have their fish weighed. The Tournament Director is the keeper of
the official event time.

Limits/Size —
Trout submitted for weight during the TroutfesT must be a minimum of 10
inches in overall length (from tip of nose to tip of tail). All fish
under 10 inches as determined by our weigh staff will not be included in
the total weight. Each angler in the TroutfesT may weigh 5 trout per
day. Once you weigh your fish, you are done for the day and may not
submit any additional fish for inclusion in your daily weight. You may
not go back out fishing once you have weighed your fish.

Unless
cooperating jointly, all boats must maintain a distance of 50 feet
between them when anchored or drift fishing. Boats which are trolling
are exempt from this rule. There is no minimum distance for shoreline
anglers.

The Tournament Director has the sole discretion to disqualify any catch for
any reason deemed to violate any tournament rules or the spirit of the
competition. Decisions of the Tournament Director are final and may not
be appealed. All anglers are responsible for weighing in their OWN fish,
and may not pass or hand off any fish to anyone else. Handing off fish
to Junior anglers will not be accepted, and if you are caught handing
off a fish, both anglers are subject to immediate disqualification.
Protests must be filed in writing with the Tournament Director no later
than 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5th, to be considered.

Divisional Prizes —
Mer­chan­dise prizes will be awarded to the top five finishers in each
of the Adult Male, Adult Female, Junior Male and Junior Female divisions
based upon total weight at the close of the competition. The largest
trout of the tournament will also receive a trophy and merchandise.
Junior divisions consist of anglers under the age of 16. All divisional
winners must be present to receive their prizes or the merchandise
portion of their prizes will be donated to the general raffle.

Ties —
In case of a tie based upon weight, the greater number of fish caught
over the course of the two-day event will determine the winner. In case
the anglers each caught the same number of fish, the winner will be
determined by their entry date. The earliest entry date will win the tie
breaker, so sign up early!

Raffle Prizes —
All anglers, as a part of their entry, will have their angler number (no raffle tickets) placed into a raffle bin. Angler numbers tickets will be
drawn and raffles will be awarded to those persons who are present.
Contestants who are not present will forfeit their prize. All angler numbers will
be placed back into the raffle bin prior to the grand prize drawing of
the boat/motor package..

Blind Bogey Contest —
Each person entered in the TroutfesT is a part of the Blind Bogey
contest. Twenty dollars of each entry fee is allocated for this contest.
Seventy-five percent of all blind bogey monies will go to the Big Bear
Municipal Water District and will be used solely for restocking Big Bear
Lake with trout. The remaining 25 percent will be distributed to
participating anglers in the form of cash prizes. Blind Bogey prize
drawings will be held Sunday during the awards ceremonies. You must be
present to win.

SIGN UP ONLINE NOW by clicking the appropriate icon above in the upper right of this page.

A
SOLD-OUT CROWD has been the rule nearly every year since the inception
of the Big Bear Lake TroutfesT. Fun times and outstanding trouting
conspire to make it an understandably-popular event. WON PHOTO BY
BRADLEY SCHWEIT